Although the trucking industry has some standards, most are a result of federal regulations. For example, trucks delivering goods over a vehicle supporting surface to a dock may be a tractor and trailer, a tractor trailer and pup, or a straight van. Throughout this specification and the appended claims "treadway" is used to refer to every vehicle supporting surface in the broadest sense, including but not limited to roads, driveways, ramps, bridges, pits, levelers or the like. In all those situations the position of the wheels in relation to a treadway, to a dock position, and to one another may vary. Therefore there exists a need to position a chock at a specific chock position in relation to the vehicle wheel, the treadway or an associated loading dock or other loading facility. In this description, wherever the term "dock," "loading dock," "dock position" or like term is used, it is intended broadly to include raised loading docks, fluid terminals and loading stations of all kinds wherever positive and safe positioning of a vehicle is desired. Furthermore, the term "fire" includes a wheel and fire rotatably mounted on a vehicle.
Also as the height of the rear of the truck may not be standardized a dock leveling device may be necessary as the trailer is loaded or unloaded. It is known to raise/or lower the trailer level to coincide with the dock or dock leveling device as the truck is unloaded/loaded. It is therefore imperative that the trailer be chocked for safe loading and unloading of the trailer regardless of the type of vehicle being serviced or the position of the vehicle wheel relative to the loading dock.
Such a trailer leveler with a chock is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,792 assigned to Kelley. However, with trailers with a floating third axle, as best seen in FIG. 1 illustrating this prior art, the chock may be rendered ineffective for chocking.
There is therefore a need in the industry to provide an automatic chock positioning device which chocks the trailer, pup, or van while automatically being positioned regardless of the positioning of the wheels in relation to one another and the dock.
Therefore it is a primary object of this invention to provide an automatic vehicle activated chock positioning device.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a chock positioning device built into a dock location and treadway.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a loading ramp which may be raised to such an extent that it provides in combination with a dock leveler, an exit, entrance ramp from/to the warehouse for material handling trucks.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.